Some solo professionals and small business owners really enjoy writing and others prefer speaking.

You don’t have to have a college degree in communications or specialized training to use speaking as a strategy to promote your products or services.

If you enjoy using your voice to build your online business, teleseminars are a fantastic marketing platform. You can invite your e-newsletter subscribers, blog readers, customers, current clients, and social networking friends to attend your teleseminar.

For those that can’t attend, be sure to provide a “replay” link so they can listen to the presentation at their own convenience.

If you spend time on my website, you’ll quickly figure out that I’m a big fan of “Free”. So here are four No-Cost teleseminar resources for you to check out:

1. FreeConferenceCall.com
2. NoCostConference.com
3. FreeConference.com
4. FreeConferenceCalling.com

Speak up! Speak out! Using your voice is a very effective way to share your expertise, showcase your talents, and let your personality and pizazz shine through.

You might enjoy this more if you listen!

When I was a kid, the first thing I grabbed out of the Sunday edition of the Pittsburgh Post Gazette was the “funnies”.  I started my morning off on a happy note by reading the comic strips.

Forget about the front page headlines – most of that stuff fell under the categories of boring, tragic, political, or I-really-don’t-give-a-hoot!

One thing I value a lot is a sense of humor and I think it’s because so few people have one!  And I consider it a wonderful asset.

I take humor very seriously.  There’s probably an oxymoron somewhere in that statement.

Humor will take you a long way in life in all of your relationships, even the relationships you have with your target audience.

But telling jokes isn’t what I’m talking about and it’s not a good idea.  You wouldn’t want to start off a teleseminar, for example, by saying, “Three men went into a bar.  One was a priest, one was a rabbi, …” and you know the rest of that joke.  Trust me, that won’t work, so don’t go there.

So how can you incorporate a splash of humor into your on-stage deliveries, email marketing campaigns, blog posts, teleseminars, podcasts, and internet radio shows?

LAUGH AT YOURSELF.  It works like a charm!

Let me give you an example of how I laugh at myself when I’m introducing myself to a new group of students in my childbirth education classes.  And please keep in mind that I teach a 2-hour class that starts at 7:00 PM.  And when you’re pregnant, 7:30 is bedtime!  So it’s not exactly easy to keep these people awake!

Here’s how my introduction goes …

Good evening.  My name is Melanie and I’m a single mom with four daughters, including a set of twins.  What that really translates into is four weddings to pay for and a house full of PMS!

That always gets a laugh and breaks the ice.  However, what I’ve just shared with them is the truth and it’s really not funny.

But it works because I’m laughing at myself.

Can you think of a way you could incorporate humor into your business and marketing strategies?

Would you like to listen instead?

Lots of service professionals and other online marketers have a very negative connotation of “Free”.

They consider it one of those “less-than-savory” four-letter words.  Free does not mean frivolous, cheap, or useless.

Smart and savvy independent business owners not only OFFER free information to their target audience, they also SUBSCRIBE to the very best free resources their competitors, clients, vendors, and colleagues have to offer.

Why?

It’s an ideal opportunity to learn something new, gather business-building tips, get invited to valuable teleseminars or webinars, and get PLENTY of ideas for blog posts, podcasts, articles, ezine content, and product creation.

If you’re trying hard to market your business on a shoestring budget (mine’s as thin as dental floss!), then make today the day you become a big fan of “Free”.

Free is not a bad word.  Shift your thinking and start putting it in a positive light – in smart ways that can catapult your business.

Have you met the Shoestring Marketer yet? If you use Twitter, be sure to follow her there @ShoestringGal.

No one else I know has a bigger or better grip on the true meaning and the business-building value of “Free”.

I bet everyone reading this already understands the value and importance of building online relationships.

Relationship-building must remain your #1 Priority!

But how do you go about establishing viable and lasting relationships over the internet?

How do you give your colleagues, prospects, social media contacts, and potential customers and clients the opportunity to get to know you better?

Use a powerful free marketing tool that’s at your disposal twenty-four hours a day – Your Voice!

E-newsletters, email marketing, blogging, article marketing, forums, and social media are great and should be vital components for branding yourself and your business.  However, these are considered “silent” venues.  People can only read what you have to say.

Having the opportunity to hear your voice makes a REMARKABLE difference in the minds and hearts of your target audience!

Normally, you don’t have the luxury and joy of meeting your fans and followers face-to-face, although it would be wonderful to sit across the table from one another and have a nice chat.

So, instead, choose your next best relationship-building option!

Select at least one or two of these “voice” strategies that you’re most comfortable with or want to learn more about:

• Teleseminars
• Webinars
• Internet Radio
• Videos
• Podcasting
• Audio Postcards
• Guest Expert Interviews

If you’ve never heard MY voice, click the link below where Terrie Wurzbacher of Getting Unstuck, LLC recently interviewed me as a Guest Expert:

Hear my Voice

Nothing spells disaster faster than not having the right tools to market your business – especially if you are trying to market on a shoestring budget.

This is a sequel to a recent post on the Solo Mompreneur blog entitled, “What’s Your Business Building Cast Iron Skillet?”

I’m writing this because Bobbye, Martha, and Heather asked. These are three exceptionally talented bloggers and small business owners I met through joining a 30-day blogging challenge.  (Be sure to click their names and check out their amazing talents!)

These three lovely ladies asked me to share the tools I use to market my business – my “Cast Iron Skillets”.

So here’s what I use to cook up some tasty marketing messages and spread the word about my business:

Free Headline Analyzer: I love this tool and consider it a must-have.  It measures the “emotional marketing value” of your words.  It’s great for crafting blog post titles, landing page & sales page bullet points, and article headlines.  And it’s fun to use!

Social Oomph: This is the best time-saving tool in my arsenal.  I use it to preschedule Twitter updates – a day or two or three in advance!  So when I am away from my computer or working on other projects, my Tweets will automatically show up in my Twitter stream at specified times throughout the day.

Ping.fm: With one click of my mouse, I can send out a post/message to ALL of my networks at once!  I’m currently subscribed to 15 different networks.  It’s another time-saver and a real convenience.

Survey Monkey: I really like this free easy-to-navigate platform for creating surveys and polls.  Google Docs are also a great choice.

Audio Acrobat: I have lots of fun recording Audio Notes here to send out to my list, publish in my ezine, or post on social networking sites.  They have some really cool templates, too.

My Marketing Cornerstone: This is a series of OUTSTANDING webinars and accompanying workbooks created by my mentor and colleague, Jessica Swanson.  I return to this information again and again!!  This $97 bootcamp took me from ZERO success to targeted subscribers and sales!

To search for other bloggers in my niche and to keep up-to-date on what people in my niche are talking about, I use:

1) Icerocket

2) Blogpulse

3) Technorati

So there you have it – My business building Cast Iron Skillets!

Growing really tired of attending rubber chicken luncheons, paying for ineffective classified ads, mailing out postcards that bring no results, and spending countless hours doing cold calling? Then you’ll want to learn about the important benefits of marketing your business online.

The internet provides you with a slam dunk opportunity for massive visibility. Handing someone a business card is fine, but creating your big “electronic” business card through online marketing will get you and your services in front of hundreds of thousands of eyes.  I’d say that beats the heck out of walking around parking lots putting flyers on windshields, wouldn’t you?

As a Solo Mompreneur, marketing your business online will allow you to:

1) Showcase Your Expertise – Put yourself in the spotlight and toot your own horn. Authentically tell your story and reassure your prospects that you work with people just like them.  People don’t want processes, they want solutions. Add results-oriented testimonials to your marketing strategy and allow your current clients to sell for you.

2) Stand Out From The Crowd – As strange as it sounds, you really have no competition when you promote yourself and your business online.  After all, there is only one YOU in this world. Take this prime time opportunity to demonstrate your unique juicy benefits and what differentiates you from everyone else.  Each of us has our very own special character, style, and persona. Let it shine! Be yourself, be creative, and have fun.

3) Save Lots Of Money – There are so many different internet marketing platforms to choose from and the majority of them are FREE. You can build your business online very cost-effectively through blogging, video, podcasting, article marketing, social media, teleseminars, and webinars. You can even host your own internet radio show or T.V. show.  Cost?  Zero dollars.

Give potential clients the chance to know, like, and trust you. Whether you are most comfortable using your voice, writing, or being in front of a camera, marketing your business online will help you build visibility and credibility and establish you as the go-to expert in your field.

Do you Tweet? I’d like to invite you to Follow me on Twitter.

Some solopreneurs and service professionals enjoy writing while others prefer speaking or being in front of a camera.

If you enjoy using your voice to build your online business, teleseminars are a fantastic marketing platform. You can invite your e-newsletter subscribers, blog readers, current clients, and social networking friends to attend your teleseminar.  For those that can’t attend, be sure to provide a replay link so they can listen to the presentation at their own convenience.

If you scout around my website, you’ll quickly figure out that I’m a big fan of “free”.  So here are three No-Cost teleseminar venues for you to consider:

FreeConferenceCall.com

NoCostConference.com

FreeConference.com

Many online marketing professionals choose to use a paid service called InstantTeleseminar.com.  You may want to check it out and determine if it fits into your budget.

Speak up!  Speak out! Using your voice is a wonderful and effective way to share your expertise and build relationships.

Podcasters and Internet radio show hosts can use private label rights content in a variety of ways to help boost their listenership. PLR articles aren’t just for information sites and here are a few ways podcasters can put them to use on their own site.

1.) Use the articles to post to a blog or website in between shows to keep your show fresh in your listener’s mind.

2.) Use PLR to brainstorm future show topics.

3.) Make recordings of the articles and post them as bonus or mini-podcasts.

No matter how you choose to use your PLR articles to boost your podcast, it’s extremely important that you realize you need to rework the original content to make it your own. Add your own thoughts, rewrite the content to make it fit your audience, add your own personal research and data, etc.

Looking for more tips to give your subscribers about getting the most use out of their PLR? Check out the 9 Uses for PLR Articles.